“We are very satisfied with the outcome of 2018 in China,” said Gianni Onorato, CEO of MSC Cruises. “We are expecting an even better 2019 with the capacity changes.”

Speaking to Cruise Industry News in Shenzhen, Onorato said there is plenty of demand in the market, and MSC was managing it in a sustainable way, as opposed to the aggressive build up that other operators had tried.

The MSC Splendida was in the market seasonally in 2018, and will extend her program in 2019, staying for the winter ahead of being replaced by the new and larger Bellissima in 2020.

Onorato said the market was moving from the charter model to more block bookings, and MSC has also started taking direct sales as well.

The booking window is also moving out for the Swiss-based brand.

“We are on the right track,” Onorato said. “We have already seen a strong improvement in the booking window in the last 12 to 18 months. We are in good shape for 2019.”

Among the challenges are limited deployment options with South Korea off the table, temporarily.

Opportunities include cabotage, which is an ongoing topic. Embarking Chinese guests in multiple homeports, a strategy MSC uses to its advantage in the Mediterranean, could prove to be a huge momentum boost.

The company is adding more nights to sailings in 2019, with additional five-night cruises on its schedule, and even a six-night sailing. Come winter 2019-2020, new deployments will see the Splendida sail from Shenzhen and Xiamen, calling mostly on Japan but also introducing Vietnam.

The new Bellissima will debut in the market in early 2020. Under construction at Chantiers in France, the 4,500-guest ship will be the largest in China, and feature MSC’s personal digital assistant, Zoe, in every stateroom.

Onorato commended Chinese travel agencies and government officials for playing a major role in developing the cruise industry in China.

Agencies, he said, created cruise departments from nothing and took huge risks chartering ships.

As for government officials, they have pushed through terminal development and key policy changes.

“I see a bright future,” Onorato explained. “Every cruise line makes their own decisions, and we do not have enough ships to move more to China today. But, we are growing and this is an important sign to the market that we are here, serious, growing and committed.”